[TheReds]

First off, good stuff here, good stuff. I am a high schooler, where my income is dependent on my birthday (just happened), christmas, and any other little job/chore/whatever i do. So Being that the source for my money would be somewhat unreliable, i decided about 5 months ago that i would take it easy on this amazingly cool hobby. That was the same time i got a pair of 280 pros. Well, now that i recieved a pair of grado sr-80's i feel they were that last ummph of motivation to spend more money on headphones...

. So now that i have convinced myself i "want more" im having a hard time deciding on what to buy with my hard earned money lol, being a good little boy is hard sometimes

.
After getting the grado's i am now addicted to its fast paced, up front, in your face, fun sound. *no "grato" by the way* However i would not mind a little more soundstage and a little more detail in each instrument, ohh and a little more bass (im somewhat of a bass head). So i was wondering what you guys would suggest.
Budget: $280 and growing, saving until christmas is optional
Listening Preferences: ROCK, RAP, jazz, blues, reggae, fusion, classical, and some acoustical
Buying Options: Buy a nice pair of cans before christmas, and ask for an amp for christmas....Save for something big.....Amp out now, Can out Later

Also if i should stick with grado tell me, i mean i do really like my 80's. What about my man alessandro? I also heard the SA5000's were a rockers delight...HELP!

-Cheers!

 

[Borat]

It sounds like Alessandro MS-2i or Sony SA-5000 might be right up your alley. The soundstage will be improved upon your SR-80, though not by leaps and bounds like a Sennheiser HD600/650, AKG K501, or Beyer DT880. But those might be too laidback for you since you enjoy the Grado upfront signature.

I would disagree with those who said the SA-5000 is a rocker's delight. It's too analytical and cold for that genre in my opinion. I would say Grado RS-1, PS-1, and to an extent SR-225 are actually better rocker headphones. But I feel that nothing beats a John Grado in that department so that's just me.

The Alessandro MS-2i is better for rock too, but not as great as the Grados IMO. If you're looking for that last bit of detail, the SA-5000 is probably unbeatable at its price point.

I think you would be happy with either MS-2i or SA-5000, but my recommendation would be MS-2i according to your want-list. If I'm not mistaken it's a bit cheaper as well.

Good luck.

 

[kramer5150]

SR225 go for around $180. Keep the remaining $100 to suppliment your christmas gifts and get a really nice amp (M^3 or millet would be my suggestion).

For $300 MS2i is a winner, although a substantial leap in $$$ over the SR225 or MS1. Consider the used market to get the most for your $. You did mention some bass-head tendencies, so MS2 beats the SR325 in this regard IMHO. Its mids are not as hot so this makes the bass stand out a little more in the mix, and tends to stretch the soundstage out wider than the Grados in this price range.

Some things to consider.... HD580-650 are power (voltage & current) hungry, much more so than any grado / alessandro. You did express the desire for dynamics and impact. Plan to amp each with something in the $350+ range. Same goes for the DT880 and K501. I found all of these to need at least a headroom micro, or SR71... to do them full justice. Maybe a pimeta would work. For certain my g-moy was not sufficient, and made them sound muddy and conjested.

Ive never heard the SA5k... but my understanding is that they also need a stout amp, clean source, and well recorded music to shine. A very revealing can from what I understand.

Garrett

 

[DobsOnly]

If you have a place you can audition the HD600 you should try them out. I really enjoy them with all kinds of music. They have all of the detail and then some, of my ER6's with almost no sibilance. They do a great job with the Bass. Very extended but controlled. Kick drums and Bass riffs are very nicely reproduced. Vocals in my opinion are exceptionally smooth and natural sounding. You might also consider the HD595 as they get good reviews. Here's a thread with some good comments and some comparisons with the 600's, a quick search will return numerous threads on these 2 cans.
HD595 Thread

Good Luck!

 

[TheReds]

Thanks a lot guys. Ok, question time....
-first off, How would the MS2i's compare to the SR-225's?? << that could be a good choice for me now that i think about it. Because......My whole audio system will first be based around my computer and X5. So being that, i would first get a portable amp, maybe an AE-1??? I dont know though, if i am totally off, let me know

.
-I read a review of the SA5000 and they did mention they were very very detailed. Would this bring out the imperfections in my system?? P.S i wont be upgrading to any high end stand alone cd players or anything...at least not now, lol. But maybe....in the future...x5 >>> sweet dac, like benchmark >>>> portable amp >>> whatever headphones....hmmmm, i wish i was rich.
-Also i heard though that sennheisers' are more "laid back". Is that true? A fun fast paced rocking set of cans isnt my only requirement however its something i enjoy.

Once again thanks for the help. ANd be harsh if im wrong, well maybe not, but tell me!!! lol

-Cheers!

 

[virometal]

If you live in Socal, find some kind people to audition some cans - any cans. IME a Cheap Senn shares the same family resemblance as an expensive Senn. Same with Grados and Sony. Find your house sound, then go from there.

 

[go_vtec]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheReds I read a review of the SA5000 and they did mention they were very very detailed. Would this bring out the imperfections in my system?? -Also i heard though that sennheisers' are more "laid back". Is that true? A fun fast paced rocking set of cans isnt my only requirement however its something i enjoy.

Yes, SA5K is a fairly detailed sounding pair of phones, but you should be able to enjoy your music. If you will be using computer based audio most of time, you may want to check how you have encoded most of your music (bit rate & format). To may ears, songs encoded with 192kbps or higher encoding are more than adequate for everyday musical enjoyment.

Sennheiser HD-580, HD600 and HD650 are more laid back than Grado SR-80/SR-225 or Sony SA5K. If you are looking for exciting sounding cans AND already like SR-80, I think you would be quite happy with either Grado or Sony. Senn requires really good amp to shine, where Sony and Grado can be powered relatively easy. IMHO, Grado will give you more exciting and enjoyable sound where Sony will be better all-around performer, not just rock.

 

[mrarroyo]

Get the Grado SR-225.

 

[Borat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheReds Ok, question time... -first off, How would the MS2i's compare to the SR-225's?? << that could be a good choice for me now that i think about it. Because......My whole audio system will first be based around my computer and X5. So being that, i would first get a portable amp, maybe an AE-1??? I dont know though, if i am totally off, let me know .

No, you're not off. Getting a portable amp like the AE-1 sounds like a good idea because it is flexible to use in both your home and portable setups. Since it runs off a lithium ion battery you won't have to worry about buying 9v batteries all the time. I haven't heard it so I cannot comment on signature, but impressions have been generally positive. Other amps to consider that could run off batteries for portable use with your X5 as well as AC power at home are HeadRoom's Micro Amp with Desktop Module and Ray Samuels The Hornet (coming soon). Xin's SuperMacro V.3 allows you to recharge batteries and swap op-amps to taylor the sound. Not making it any easier for you am I?

As for SR-225 vs. MS-2i. The presentation will be somewhat similar, but the Alessandro is not as colored and offers slightly higher resolution. The bass on the MS-2i will be slightly tighter as well. But your preference will come down to which house sound you like better. Both are excellent headphones and I don't think you can go wrong.

Quote:

-I read a review of the SA5000 and they did mention they were very very detailed. Would this bring out the imperfections in my system?? P.S i wont be upgrading to any high end stand alone cd players or anything...at least not now, lol. But maybe....in the future...x5 >>> sweet dac, like benchmark >>>> portable amp >>> whatever headphones....

They are highly resolving headphones, but that is why they are so acclaimed around here. Very unforgiving of source quality. If there are imperfections in the recording or your library consists of compressed files, the SA-5000 will let you know about it. The signature is sharp and cold, it doesn't soften or warm the sound like an HD600/650. I know that doesn't help much, especially if you haven't heard either can, but that's the best I could describe them. Vertigo's review is spot-on though.

Quote:

hmmmm, i wish i was rich.

Me too man. Me too.

Quote:

-Also i heard though that sennheisers' are more "laid back". Is that true? A fun fast paced rocking set of cans isnt my only requirement however its something i enjoy.

I think you should buy the headphone that would make you happy. If the SR-80's are what motivated you to seek something more, maybe you should stick with the Grados. It doesn't sound like you would enjoy the HD650 house sound. I like them but I will admit they aren't as "fast" or as "exciting" as Grados that's for sure.

 

[jpr703]

You should check out a set of 225s. Once your hooked on the Grado sound, you're better off not to fight it--just keep moving up the chain.

 

[TheReds]

Ok....
-first, i think i am for sure not going to get an amp now. The whole upcoming Hornet thing is putting me off. So, all that is left is a pair of cans or save. And being that i am a part of the head-fi community, i shall go for a pair of cans.

Now, I have narrowed it down to the SA5k's or the MS-2i's (yes, i am not staying with grado......for this purchase that is,

). At the current moment i am leaning for the MS-2i's. My music is encoded in flac on my pc and Lame preset extreme on my x5. So i was thinking that the MS-2i's would be better being that i dont have an amp at the current moment, which would hopefully change for christmas

.

The only thing holding me back from ordering them now is that, somebody said that the SA5k's were more of an all around headphone that can handle rock and all the good stuff very well. And that is somewhat appealing to me because as i spend more and more money i would like a well rounded collection....help me with this.

Also. ATTENTION ALL GRADOERS, SONYERS, AND ALESSANDROERS....what amps have you had great success with. this is asking for mainly amps that can be portable or for the home. I asked for all three of those makes becuase i am leaning for a more fun/foward presentation (am i correct on this?

ahhaaha).

and once again, correct me if i am wrong on anything. i want this to be a learning experience

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheReds Ok.... -first, i think i am for sure not going to get an amp now. The whole upcoming Hornet thing is putting me off. So, all that is left is a pair of cans or save. And being that i am a part of the head-fi community, i shall go for a pair of cans. Now, I have narrowed it down to the SA5k's or the MS-2i's (yes, i am not staying with grado......for this purchase that is, ). At the current moment i am leaning for the MS-2i's. My music is encoded in flac on my pc and Lame preset extreme on my x5. So i was thinking that the MS-2i's would be better being that i dont have an amp at the current moment, which would hopefully change for christmas . The only thing holding me back from ordering them now is that, somebody said that the SA5k's were more of an all around headphone that can handle rock and all the good stuff very well. And that is somewhat appealing to me because as i spend more and more money i would like a well rounded collection....help me with this. Also. ATTENTION ALL GRADOERS, SONYERS, AND ALESSANDROERS....what amps have you had great success with. this is asking for mainly amps that can be portable or for the home. I asked for all three of those makes becuase i am leaning for a more fun/foward presentation (am i correct on this? ahhaaha). and once again, correct me if i am wrong on anything. i want this to be a learning experience

Im loving my millet hybrid / MS2 tandem. Sound is big open and spatious (even for a Grado). Im hearing things off in the distance in my Live Brian Setzer recordings that i never heard before. Dire straits... Holy cow!!

Combine the impact and dynamics of the MS2, the open trasparency of the Millet, and the tube warmth of the 12AE6A tubes biased to 16 volts and its a very addictive sound.

I demoed my MS2 with an SR71 and headroom DAC at the san jose meet and was floored. The current capacity on that SR71 is insane its a current monster great synnergy with 32 ohm grados.

Garrett

 

[TheReds]

Wait, so which do you guys think would be good to hold me off until christmas?? SA5K, or MS2i's. Hmmmm, decisions decisions. I want both

. Because i have somewhat of a liking for bass, just a question, which has more bass (all aspects)?????

Also. Will both of these really improve as my source improves?? im planning a dac (wavelength if i had the money) then ofcourse an amp.

 

[Canuck57]

I find that my SSR225s and Pocket Amp 2 ($60) make a nice combination. The bass is very solid without being bloated or muddy. While not as good as the Supermacro, it's far far cheaper. it also drives my HD650s quite well.

You may want to consider an amp like the Go-Vibe ($89), I haven't heard it, however, there are favourable comments about it here. Also you can have some fun with it since you can roll opamps and change the sound signature. you can pick up free opamps under the samples programs.

Other headphones to consider for strong bass are Beyer Dynamic DT770s and Super,fi 5EBs

 

[mrarroyo]

You may want to explore the PAV2 at $60 delivered. It will really improve the bass in your SR-80. If later you want to move up the chain you can get the AE-1.